Wuzu Massacre: Naga Students’ Federation Memorandum against AFSPA Submitted to the Governor of Nagaland on 23rd July 2015

Ref. No.: NSF/ Memo 1/ 15-17

23/ 7/ 2015

To,

Shri PB Acharya

Honourable Governor of Nagaland

Subject : Appeal against the ongoing unjust war on the Naga people, demand for the punishment of the personnel responsible for the Wuzu massacre of July 16, 2015 and the immediate repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.

Sir,

With due respect, we, the undersigned, would like to submit this memorandum, to inform you of the Naga apprehensions and escalation of disturbances to peace and security of our people as a result of an unjust war. We would also like to seek for your kind cooperation with the Naga people and necessary intervention to take up adequate action against the war crimes perpetrated by the Indian army at Wuzu Village on July 16, 2015 and the immediate repeal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958.

That;

1. The honourable Governor must be aware of the media coverage about the Wuzu Massacre in Nagaland, on July 16, 2015, which has been misreported as cross firing between the NSCN(K) and the Indian Armed forces by the Indian Media. On that unfortunate day; a convoy of the Assam Rifles and Para Commandos, led by Major Surinder Singh of the 46 AR C Company, indiscriminately fired upon the unarmed residents of Wuzu Village, who were having a discussion with the Major regarding the customary ritual funeral of the mortal remains of late Captain Puhachu, NSCN (K) who was one of those killed by the Indian Army on the midnight of 15^th July 2015. In this massacre Miss Aso (13 years old) and Mr Tiizali (14 years old) were killed; Mrs. Esther Jorror (24 years old) was injured, and properties were destroyed by the rampant firing of the Indian Army. The unfortunate victims were neither fired upon by the NSCN(K) nor were there any cross firing. However, the Indian media and the military establishment, as usual, have covered up the massacre with misinformation propaganda. In this regard, we have conducted a fact finding mission, which has now been widely circulated. The fact finding report is being attached for your kind information (Annexure I).

2. The honorable Governor must be aware of the fact that India’s unjust war on the Naga people, in the initial stage, was primarily motivated by extra territorial, geo strategic, mercantile capitalist interests of the national chauvinist ruling forces, who in the subsequent period of time have erected local puppet regimes. In the last few decades, India’s capitalist interests to expropriate Naga natural resources and to control trade routes have been rigorously enforced at gun point. Throughout the period since the late 1940s, the Nagas have been bearing with the negative fallouts of this unjust war by India, which have been constitutionally buttressed by the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (henceforth AFSPA). We, the Naga people, cannot remain silent on this anymore.

3. The honourable Governor must be aware of the facts that throughout the period, from 1948 to 1957, the AFSPA has been theoretically imposed in all the ‘provinces’ of India. It was repealed in 1957 because it was an ugly blot to the image of a democratic and republican India. However, from 1958 onwards, India’s unjust war on the Naga people has been covered up under this Act. Section 1 of the AFSPA empowers the Governor of a State or the Government of India to construe any area or territory as disturbed and to act accordingly. SECTION 4 of the Act empowers any concerned officer to act on ‘his’ suspicion and consequently arrest anyone without warrant, to search any premise without warrant, destroy and kill. SECTION 5 of the Act empowers the concerned officer to detain any arrested person with the least possible delay and does not stipulate any time frame of the detention. SECTION 6 of the Act defends any army personnel from being held accountable for any violation of human rights inflicted on innocent citizen. Why has the onus of the AFSPA been imposed on us, when we do not want the Indian army to rule over us?

4. The honourable Governor must be aware of the fact that the Right to Life and justice sanctioned by the Indian Constitution and the Protection of Human Rights Act 1993, have been denied to the people affected by the AFSPA. The AFSPA has allowed the Indian Army to unleash a reign of terror, that is, perpetration of war crimes with impunity. This unjust war on the Naga people violates the international standards, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, the Geneva Conventions 1949 (and additional protocols), the United Nations Convention against Torture (1984, signed in India), the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 2007). The unjust war is responsible for the killing, torture, sexual disgrace, destruction of property, control of our markets and natural resources by the market forces, trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorders, deprivation and marginalisation, insecurity, and various forms of disturbances to the Naga people.

5. The honourable Governor must be aware of the opinions and recommendations that suggests that the Naga struggle is a ‘national liberation movement’ in Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland and Myanmar which is structurally rooted by the constrains of the Indian capitalist political economy. There is a widespread view that upholds that the nationality question cannot be solved militarily. However, the Government of India is acting undemocratically, by investing more in the unjust war efforts, to keep the Nagas permanently under siege. How long should we remain silent to the suppression of democratic voices that are being raised against subjugation and exploitation?

The Naga students’ community and the Nagas are aghast by the Wuzu Massacre. Fully comprehending the dangerous fallouts of the prolonged unjust war, we appeal to your esteemed Office, to hear our democratic voice and to fulfill our immediate demands.

Our immediate demands are:

1. Publicly condemn the Wuzu Massacre of July 16, 2015.
2. Punish the war criminals responsible for the Wuzu Massacre.
3. The Armed Forces both Military and Para Military to be recalled back to their respective camp from their ruthless operation.
4. Immediate repeal the Armed Forces Special Powers Act.

Sd/-

Subenthung Kithan

President, Naga Students’ Federation

Sd/-

Boveio Poukai Duo

General Secretary, Naga Students’ Federation